Award Poll: The Depth of Character Award 2019

December 06, 2019, 02:04:26 PM

This award is bestowed on a writer who demonstrated extraordinary character development and depth of writing. The character's plot goals are long-term with life-altering changes.

The poll will run for 3 days, in which those who cast their vote should take a few minutes to read the linked scenes first. The nominee(s) who get the most votes will receive the Depth of Character Award. If you are a Nominee, you may not vote on your own scene.

Here are the nominations, with more information on the nominated writers & threads, which has been complemented by private nominations of additional writers in nominated threads:

NOMINATION 01: FIFE

Forum Name of Nominee: @Fife
Reason for Nomination: Characterisation of Cross
Motivation & Links:
1) Egos, Emotives & Expletives
2) Trials & Tribulations
3) A Horse to Water
4) Vulcan Hand Jobs
5) Disappearing Acts
Cross has had a lot to deal with, between losing a hand and being corrected to become a full Vulcan, and Fife isn't afraid to fully deal with the consequences of this realistically. There's no quick fix for this, and Cross has been dealing with it all through several threads. He's already a great character, complex and deep with well-written motivations, and watching him come to terms with his changes has ben great. For threads, see: 'Egos, Emotives & Expletives' and 'Trials & Tribulations', 'A Horse to Water', 'Vulcan Hand Jobs', & 'Disappearing Acts'.

NOMINATION 02: BRUTUS

Forum Name of Nominee: @Brutus
Reason for Nomination: Natalie Stark's development
Motivation & Links:
1) Master & (Lieutenant) Commander
2) Conservatory Evaluation
3) Patch Job
4) Ghosts in the Machine
5) bISolnISbe'taHmeH yIyep ma'rIch Ides
Stark has really had to step up in terms of responsibility with becoming Acting XO and now 2XO, and I love how Brutus has written her struggle with this change. Her uncertainty with the position, as well as her personal traumas, have been consistently well-written and never brushed under the carpet, and it's great to see her develop realistically like this. She's a lovely character, warm and capable and very human and real. For some particularly nice threads, see 'Master & (Lieutenant) Commander', 'Conservatory Evaluation', 'Patch Job', 'Ghosts in the Machine', & 'bISolnISbe'taHmeH yIyep ma'rIch Ides'.

NOMINATION 03: BZ

Forum Name of Nominee: @BZ
Reason for Nomination: Writing of Blue Tiran
Motivation & Links:
1) Bluecote threads
2) Hollow Hearted
3) Baggage Claim
4) The Encumbered Engineer
Blue has a wonderfully deep character, and just like the others here, BZ doesn't shy away from taking her time with developments and details to make Blue feel like a real person. She's funny, competent, full of personality, and with deeply complex trauma that she's still dealing with and recovering from. See all the Blucote threads (highlights linked here), plus 'Hollow Hearted', and the counselling series 'Baggage Claim' and 'The Encumbered Engineer'.

NOMINATION 04: TOP HAT

Forum Name of Nominee: @Top Hat
Reason for Nomination: For the writing of Ranaan Ducote
Motivation & Links:
1) No Rest For The Wicked
2) Charades
3) Reunion
4) With Malice Aforethought
5) A Toast To Amasov
6) USS Endeavour: We Are the Borg
Ducote is the XO we need. In his first appearance on the forum was a shipless officer, who had lost his crew, his captain and the love of his life (see first link). He has been through incarceration, has evaluated an invisible threat and, at all times has tried to deal with his personal problems without ceasing to be himself. On the contrary, he has put aside some of his paranoia and lack of trust (willing to blow up the Niger, eh my dear amigo?), he has listened to the different sides (he has met with Nicander at least twice, he has been in the meeting with Anya Ziegler, he has met with Ives and Trent and too many others), he has reflected on all this and has always tried to do the BEST for his crew (as a whole) for the Federation and for everyone around him. He decided to join the crew and embrace a job he didn't ask for in a ship he didn't trust for the greater good, even with a broken heart. He has given us small moments like his farewell to one of his crew members because he looks beyond his own necessities and ponder about the whole picture... and about the interest of every one of the crewmembers under his charge. The changes have been subtle and small and so gradual that we may not have noticed but... this man, loyal to the Starfleet that could have rejoined it, has decided to declare himself a traitor (officially) because it is the right thing to do. What an irony. Even, at the end, he cares deeply for the integrity of the crew he was so distrustful.

NOMINATION 05: FIENDFALL

Forum Name of Nominee: @fiendfall
Reason for Nomination: For Hathev, and for the subtlety of writing emotional and mental changes into a member of a logical, emotional and repressed species.
Motivation & Links:
1) Olive Branch
2) Snakes and Ladders
3) A Meeting of Minds
4) New Hope Rising
5) Far From the Tree
6) Hic Sunt Leones
The nominator confess they are a bit biased with Hathev, yet if you haven't been following their threads you should. Because underneath all those layers of logic and coldness there is a very compassionate person, willing to change her point of view, to forgive and to accept, and all this doesn't just come from logic. She is a person willing to forgive those who have destroyed her ship, her comrades and her life, to embrace her position and its mission, to help a former (and complicated) orensu and maybe even to find a kindred soul. More than enough to deserve this award.

NOMINATION 06: NOLAN

Forum Name of Nominee: @Nolan
Reason for Nomination: For Thomas Ravon, with Zephvon and Zyvon
Motivation & Links:
What has happened to the poor Thomas since he returned to Theurgy during the battle of Starbase 84? Well, he....
- Has become SCO
- He's lost a good part of his squadron.
- He's had to see friends and enemies die like flies.
- He's got back the woman he's always been in love with.
- He lost her before he could be aware of it.
- he has found new friends and enemies
- he has got his face smashed in his office.
- and, in general,he has become a better version of the officer he used to be... with some issues to work around.

He still has to do some work, but the nominator thinks we will have Thomas Ravon for a while. However, only in the last episode he has a long journey.

NOMINATION 07: ARISTA

Forum Name of Nominee: @Arista
Reason for Nomination: Characterisation & development of the NPC Anya Ziegler
Motivation & Links:
Ziegler is great. She's a rich and realistic character, a badass captain, and a wise officer. Arista doesn't compromise on her characterisation, and she feels fully real in that she has her own life and story separate from what we see on-screen. His willingness to have her enter and leave the story shows a real dedication — if she was mine I'd want her here constantly, but the decision to have her come and go adds so much to her character and story that it's really got to be commended. I think it's safe to say Ziegler is the only example where a writer adds to a character's realism by not writing them! Arista does a great job. For threads, see: 'Master & (Lieutenant) Commander', 'Blood for Blood', 'From the Ashes', & 'The Battle of the Apertures'.

There were also nominations for myself and @Numen , but those didn't really fit this award category. It should be directed towards a specific character and the writing of him/her.

Thank you in advance for your voting in this award category!